JP5119136B2 - Electronic device and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof.

  Electronic devices such as a digital camera are provided with operation buttons such as a shooting button for shooting, a setting button for performing various settings, and a power button for turning on / off the power. A digital camera is carried and is stored in a bag, a pocket or the like when carried. If the power button is accidentally operated while it is stored in a bag or pocket, the power is turned on and wasteful power is consumed.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a power supply control device that automatically turns off the power when the non-operation time during which the operation button is not operated exceeds a preset setting time.
JP 2003-131760 A

  If the above setting time is long, the operation button may be accidentally operated when it is stored in a bag or pocket. In this case, the power is not turned off, so that useless power is consumed. . For this reason, it is conceivable to shorten the set time. However, if the set time is shortened, the power may be turned off even during photographing, so the set time cannot be shortened so much.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an electronic device and a control method thereof that can suppress wasteful power consumption.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device of the present invention captures a plurality of operation buttons including a power button for turning on / off the power, a timer for starting time measurement when the power is turned on, and a subject image. Imaging means for performing, adjustment means for performing at least one of exposure adjustment and focus adjustment for the subject image, and when the time measured by the timer exceeds a first set time without operating any operation buttons other than the power button Determining means for starting adjustment by the adjusting means and determining whether or not the adjustment is possible; operating by operating the power button; and turning on / off the power based on the determination result of the determining means a power supply control means for controlling the off, and the temperature sensor, the photographing mode and the power saving mode in which less power is consumed than in the photographing mode for photographing by the image pickup means Mode switching means for switching between the mode and the mode switching means, wherein the mode switching means has exceeded the second set time shorter than the first set time without operating any operation button other than the power button Switching to the power saving mode, and when the determination unit starts the adjustment during the power saving mode, the mode is switched to the shooting mode, and the power control unit is configured to switch the power supply control unit to the detected temperature when the detected temperature is equal to or lower than a first set temperature. When the determination means determines that the adjustment is not possible when the temperature exceeds a second set temperature lower than the first set temperature, the mode switching means is operated to switch to the power saving mode while the power is on. When the determination means determines that the adjustment is not possible in a state where the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the second set temperature, the power is turned on. Characterized in that to continue the shooting mode remains.

Further, it is preferable that the power control means turns off the power when the determination means determines that the adjustment is not possible in a state where the detected temperature exceeds the first set temperature.

  Furthermore, when the determination unit determines that the adjustment is not possible, the determination unit includes a notification unit that notifies the adjustment, and the power source control unit receives an operation button other than the power button after being notified by the notification unit. It is preferable to turn off the power when the measurement time exceeds the third set time without being operated.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the determination means starts the adjustment a plurality of times.

Further, according to the control method of the electronic device of the present invention, the subject image captured by the imaging unit when the measurement time exceeds the first set time without operating the plurality of operation buttons including the power button for turning on / off the power. to initiate at least one of the exposure adjustment and focus adjustment to the determination whether or not it is possible to adjust according to at least one, it controls the power on / off based on the determination result, other than the power button When the measurement time exceeds a second set time shorter than the first set time without operating the operation button, the mode is switched to a power saving mode in which the power consumption is lower than the shooting mode in which shooting is performed with the imaging unit, When starting the adjustment during the power saving mode, the mode is switched to the photographing mode, and the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor is equal to or lower than the first set temperature. When it is determined that the adjustment is not possible in a state where the second set temperature is lower than the first set temperature, the power-saving mode is switched while the power is on, and the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the second set temperature. When it is determined that the adjustment is not possible in a certain state, the photographing mode is continued while the power is on .

  According to the present invention, whether or not adjustment by at least one of exposure adjustment and focus adjustment for a subject image is possible when the measurement time exceeds the first set time without operating any operation button other than the power button. Since the power on / off is controlled based on the result of this determination, if the power is turned off when adjustment is not possible, the power is turned off when it is stored in a bag or pocket. Unnecessary power consumption when the power is turned on unintentionally can be reliably suppressed. Even when the first setting time is set to a short time, if the power is not turned off when adjustment is possible, the power is not turned off during shooting.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a digital camera 2 embodying the present invention is provided with a lens barrel 5 in which a plurality of photographing lenses 4 are incorporated on the front surface of a camera body 3. On the upper surface of the camera body 3, a power button 6, a release button 7 and the like are provided. The lens barrel 5 is housed inside the camera body 3 when the digital camera 2 is in the power-off state, and protrudes from the front surface of the camera body 3 when the digital camera 2 is shifted to the shooting mode.

  The release button 7 has a two-stage push structure. When the release button 7 is lightly pressed (half pressed), shooting preparation operations such as exposure adjustment and focus adjustment are performed. When further pressed (fully pressed) in this state, a photographing operation is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the back of the camera body 3, an LCD 10 on which a captured image and various setting conditions are displayed, a menu key 11 for switching various settings and display images, and an image displayed on the LCD 10 are enlarged and displayed. There are provided a zoom button 12 for zooming in and a plurality of speaker openings 13 for emitting sound output from the speaker 52 (see FIG. 3) to the outside. In the present embodiment, the release button 7, the menu key 11, and the zoom button 12 are collectively referred to as operation buttons.

  The digital camera 2 is provided with a shooting mode, a playback mode for playing back and displaying a shot image, and a power saving mode that consumes less power than the shooting mode and the playback mode. Switching between the shooting mode and the playback mode is performed by operating the menu key 11.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration inside the digital camera 2, and behind the photographing lens 4, a CCD 21 on which subject light transmitted through the photographing lens 4 enters is arranged. The CCD 21 photoelectrically converts the subject image to generate a time-series three-color signal and sends it to a correlated double sampling circuit (CDS) 22. A timing signal (clock signal) from a TG (timing generator) 27 controlled by the CPU 30 is input to the CCD driver 26. The CCD 21 is operated by the CCD driver 26. The three-color signal output from the CCD 21 is converted into a three-color signal that accurately corresponds to the amount of charge accumulated in each cell of the CCD 21 after the noise component is removed by the CDS 22. The three-color signal output from the CDS 22 is amplified by an amplifier (AMP) 23 according to the ISO sensitivity, and converted to image data by an A / D converter 24.

  The focus motor 28 is driven by the CPU 30 via a motor driver (not shown), and moves the plurality of photographing lenses 4 to perform focus adjustment.

  The image input controller 25 is connected to the CPU 30 via the data bus 29, and controls the CDS 22, AMP 23, and A / D converter 24 according to instructions from the CPU 30. The image data output from the A / D converter 24 is written into the video memory 31 or the buffer memory 33.

  When the LCD 10 is used as a viewfinder, the video memory 31 temporarily stores through-image image data with a low resolution. The live view image data is sent to the LCD driver 32 via the data bus 29, and the live view image is displayed on the LCD 10. The buffer memory 33 temporarily stores captured high-resolution image data. The image data read from the buffer memory 33 is stored in the RAM 35 by a data reader that is driven and controlled by the memory controller 34.

  The image signal processing unit 36 includes an image quality correction circuit 41, an AE circuit 42, and an AF circuit 43. Each of the circuits 41 to 43 accesses the live view image data stored in the video memory 31 when the release button 7 is half-pressed, and performs various image processing.

  The image quality correction circuit 41 performs image processing such as gradation conversion, color conversion, hypertone processing for compressing the gradation of the very low frequency density component of the image, and hyper sharpness processing for enhancing sharpness while suppressing grain.

  Based on the live view image data stored in the video memory 31, the AE circuit 42 calculates the luminance of the subject by a known calculation method and determines the exposure value. The CPU 30 adjusts a diaphragm (not shown) and the like according to the exposure value.

  The AF circuit 43 detects the in-focus state from the contrast of the through image stored in the video memory 31 and calculates the focal position. The CPU 30 drives the focus motor 28 based on the calculated focal position to move the plurality of photographing lenses 4.

  The CPU 30 operates the timer 46 when the power is turned on. The battery 47 is built in the digital camera 2 and supplies power to each unit such as the LCD 10 and the CPU 30. The battery 47 is connected to the CPU 30, and the power supplied to each unit is controlled by the CPU 30. The temperature detection sensor 48 detects the temperature inside the camera body 3. In the power saving mode, power is supplied only to the CPU 30 and the timer 46.

  The CPU 30 switches to the power saving mode in response to the measurement time of the timer 46 exceeding a set time (for example, 2 minutes) without operating the operation button. When the operation button is operated during the power saving mode, the CPU 30 switches to the photographing mode or the reproduction mode. In the present embodiment, the CPU 30 also functions as a mode switching unit.

  The determination unit 50 outputs an adjustment start signal to the CPU 30 when the non-operation time (measurement time of the timer 46 when the operation button is not operated) exceeds a set time (for example, 3 minutes). . The CPU 30 starts the adjustment by the image signal processing unit 36 a plurality of times (for example, twice) after switching to the photographing mode in response to the input of the adjustment start signal. The determination unit 50 determines whether an exposure value has been determined by the AE circuit 42 (whether exposure adjustment is possible) and whether a focus position has been calculated by the AF circuit 43 (whether focus adjustment has been possible). .

  When the digital camera 2 is stored in a bag or pocket, the through image stored in the video memory 31 is a black image. In this case, since the AE circuit 42 cannot calculate the luminance, the exposure value is not determined, and since the AF circuit 43 cannot detect the in-focus state from the contrast of the through image, the focal position is not calculated. . In this state, the determination unit 50 determines that neither exposure adjustment nor focus adjustment is possible.

  The determination unit 50 determines that neither exposure adjustment nor focus adjustment is possible, and if the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 48 exceeds a set temperature (for example, 50 ° C.), the CPU 30 determines Output a non-adjustable signal. In response to the input of the unadjustable signal, the CPU 30 outputs from the speaker 52 a sound indicating that the power is erroneously turned on (for example, “wrong power is turned on”).

  The determination unit 50 outputs a power-off signal to the CPU 30 in response to a no-operation time after the non-adjustable signal is output to the CPU 30 exceeding a set time (for example, 30 seconds). The CPU 30 turns off the power in response to the input of the power off signal. In the present embodiment, the CPU 30 also functions as a power control unit.

  The determination unit 50 determines that neither exposure adjustment nor focus adjustment is possible twice, and if the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 48 is higher than 40 ° C. and lower than 50 ° C., the CPU 30 saves power. Outputs a mode signal. The CPU 30 switches to the power saving mode in response to the input of the power saving mode signal.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 2 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. When the power is turned on (step (hereinafter, S) 1), the CPU 30 activates the timer 46 (S2) and starts temperature detection by the temperature detection sensor 48 (S3). When the non-operation time when the operation button is not operated exceeds 2 minutes (Y in S4), the CPU 30 switches to the power saving mode (S5). When the no-operation time exceeds 3 minutes (Y in S6), the determination unit 50 outputs an adjustment start signal to the CPU 30 and switches to the shooting mode (S7), and then the adjustment by the image signal processing unit 36. Is started twice (S8). The determination unit 50 determines whether focus adjustment and exposure adjustment by the AE circuit 42 and the AF circuit 43 of the image signal processing unit 36 are possible (S9).

  The determination unit 50 determines that neither exposure adjustment nor focus adjustment is possible (N in S9) and the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 48 exceeds 50 ° C. (Y in S10). Outputs an unadjustable signal to the CPU 30. In response to the input of the non-adjustable signal, the CPU 30 outputs a sound “The power supply is erroneously turned on” from the speaker 52 (S11).

  The determination unit 50 outputs a power-off signal to the CPU 30 when the no-operation time after the non-adjustable signal is output to the CPU 30 exceeds 30 seconds (Y in S12). The CPU 30 turns off the power in response to the input of the power off signal (S13).

  When the detected temperature is higher than 40 ° C. and lower than 50 ° C. (N in S10, Y in S14), the determination unit 50 outputs a power saving mode signal to the CPU 30. The CPU 30 switches to the power saving mode in response to the input of the power saving mode signal (S5). Further, when the detected temperature is 40 ° C. or lower (N in S10, N in S14), the CPU 30 continues the photographing mode (S15).

  As described above, when the non-operation time when the operation button is not operated exceeds 3 minutes, the focus adjustment and the exposure adjustment are performed twice, both of these adjustments are impossible, and the detection temperature is 50 ° C. If it exceeds, the power will be turned off, and focus adjustment and exposure adjustment will be impossible. Unnecessary power on (for example, power on in a bag) is reliably suppressed. Can do.

  Further, when the detected temperature exceeds 50 ° C., the power supply is immediately turned off, so that it is possible to prevent low-temperature burns and malfunctions due to temperature rise. Furthermore, when the detected temperature is 50 ° C. or lower, the power saving mode is switched to the power saving mode or the photographing mode is continued while the power is on. Can be used.

  In the above embodiment, the power is turned off when neither exposure adjustment nor focus adjustment is possible, but the power may be turned off when either one is impossible.

  In the above embodiment, the speaker notifies that the power is turned on by mistake. However, the speaker may notify the LED, LCD, or the like.

  Furthermore, although the digital camera has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be used for a film camera, a mobile phone, a PDA, a music player, and the like.

It is a front perspective view which shows the digital camera which implemented this invention. It is a rear view which shows a digital camera. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure inside a digital camera. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process from a power supply ON to OFF.

Explanation of symbols

2 Digital camera (electronic device)
6 Power button 7 Release button 11 Menu key 12 Zoom button 30 CPU
36 Image Signal Processing Unit 42 AE Circuit 43 AF Circuit 46 Timer 50 Determination Unit

Claims (5)

A plurality of operation buttons including a power button for turning on / off the power;
A timer that starts measuring time when the power is turned on;
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Adjusting means for performing at least one of exposure adjustment and focus adjustment on the subject image;
Determination means for starting the adjustment by the adjustment means and determining whether the adjustment is possible or not when the measurement time by the timer exceeds a first set time without operating any operation button other than the power button. When,
A power control unit that is activated by an operation of the power button and controls on / off of a power source based on a determination result of the determination unit;
A temperature detection sensor;
Mode switching means for switching between a shooting mode for shooting with the imaging means and a power saving mode with less power consumption than the shooting mode;
The mode switching means switches to the power saving mode when the measurement time exceeds a second setting time shorter than the first setting time without operating any operation buttons other than the power button, and is in the power saving mode. When the determination means starts the adjustment, it switches to the shooting mode,
When the detected temperature is not more than a first set temperature and exceeds a second set temperature that is lower than the first set temperature, the power control means determines that the adjustment is not possible by the determining means. The mode switching means is operated while the power is on to switch to the power saving mode. When the detection means determines that the adjustment is not possible in a state where the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the second set temperature, the power is turned on. An electronic apparatus characterized in that the photographing mode is continued while being turned on . The power supply control means turns off the power supply when the determination means determines that the adjustment is not possible in a state where the detected temperature exceeds the first set temperature. Electronic devices. When it is determined by the determination means that the adjustment is not possible, a notification means for notifying that is provided,
The power supply control means turns off the power when the measurement time exceeds a third set time without any operation buttons other than the power button being operated after being notified by the notification means. Item 3. The electronic device according to Item 1 or 2 . Said determination means, said adjusting electronic device according any one claims 1 to 3, characterized in that to start multiple times. When the measurement time exceeds the first set time without operating a plurality of operation buttons including the power button for turning on / off the power , at least one of exposure adjustment and focus adjustment for the subject image picked up by the image pickup means is started. then,
It is determined whether adjustment by the at least one is possible, and on / off of the power is controlled based on the determination result,
Less power consumption than the shooting mode in which shooting is performed with the imaging means when the measurement time exceeds a second set time shorter than the first set time without operating any operation button other than the power button. When switching to the mode and starting the adjustment during the power saving mode, switch to the shooting mode,
When it is determined that the adjustment is not possible in a state where the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor is lower than the first set temperature and exceeds the second set temperature lower than the first set temperature, the power saving is performed with the power on. A control method for an electronic device, wherein the photographing mode is continued while the power is on when it is determined that the adjustment is not possible when the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the second set temperature. .

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